


Courting, Kidnapping, Same Difference

by GemmaRose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cultural Differences, Dragon Keith (Voltron), M/M, Magic, Merman Lance (Voltron), Miscommunication, Size Difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 21:37:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15671781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: Lance stared for another second, then two, then dropped his head and slammed his forehead into the floor, breaking the ice there. “Why is this my life.” he groaned.“I’m- sorry?” the dragon stepped closer, and Lance tilted his head to actually get a proper look at it.“It’s fine, it’s fine.” he sighed, lifting his head to rest in the palm of one hand. “Just, figures that out of everyone I know,I’mthe one who gets hit on by a dumbass dragon.”





	Courting, Kidnapping, Same Difference

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fuzzykitty01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzykitty01/gifts).



Lance gasped as the water closed over his head, gills flaring as he sank to the bottom. The water tingled on his skin, sweet on his tongue when he opened his mouth to taste it, and he felt at the uneven stone beneath him for any loose rocks he could arm himself with. If he was going to be eaten, he’d at least make it as painful an affair as possible. The dragon’s head came into view, and Lance shot backwards with a flick of his tail, readying his worst ice magic. He’d freeze _himself_ , if need be. It wouldn’t be as effective as a good sharp rock, but it wouldn’t be pleasant either.

The dragon’s head tilted, as if it was curious, and Lance surfaced to bare his teeth at it. “Try it.” he snarled, making his voice as deep as possible. “I’ll freeze you where you stand.”

“What?” The dragon blinked, and Lance stared.

“You can talk?” he asked dumbly.

“Of course I can talk.” the dragon huffed, lowering itself to lie at the edge of the pond, its front claws dipping into the water. “How do you like the pool? I carved it out just for you.”

“For me.” Lance echoed dumbly, his brain blank and still.

The dragon nodded, and gestured to the rest of the room that he’d been a bit too preoccupied to notice on his way in. On one side, a pile of things made from the shiny metals surface dwellers loved so dearly, interspersed with colourful gems. On the other, a collection of bladed weapons probably equal in weight to the dragon itself, hung neatly on the wall and arranged on wooden racks. This was... its hoard? This thing didn’t want to have him for dinner, it wanted him as treasure!

Lance snarled, and shot forward through the too-shallow sweetwater to plant his hands on the edge between the dragon’s claws and push himself halfway out of the water. “Let me go.” he hissed, pulling on his magic to spread ice along the stone floor from his fingertips and flare a glow of pale blue power at the edges of his eyes.

“What?” the dragon blinked in confusion again.

“Let. Me. Go.” Lance repeated himself, tail lashing against the rough bottom of the artificial pond. “Take me out of this puddle and put me back in the ocean.”

“But-”

“Let me **go**!” Lance shouted, magic erupting from his palms and shooting ice across the floor of room and surface of the water.

“Whoa, whoa.” the dragon backed up, eyes wide. “I can make the pool bigger if you want, or-”

“I _want_ to go home.” Lance leaned forward as much as he dared, glaring at the dragon.

“I could get you decorations?”

“I don’t care what you do to this damn puddle!” he lifted a hand from the floor and curled it into a fist, punching the ground.

“I can make it better though!”

“I don’t care!” Lance repeated, raising his voice further, and the dragon’s head sank towards the floor in either shame or disappointment.

“There’s nothing I can do to get you to stay?” it asked plaintively, and the question was so out of left field Lance could only stare for a moment.

“You _kidnapped_ me.” he said flatly. “Why the hell would I want to stay here?”

“Kidnapped?” The dragon’s snout scrunched up in confusion.

“Yes, that’s what it’s called when you take somebody away who doesn’t want to go with you.” he lowered himself back into the water, shivering slightly as he hunkered against the edge of the pond.

“Oh.”

“The hell did you think you were doing, anyways?” he asked as the dragon looked at its feet.

“Um, courting you?” it looked up from its feet almost shyly, and Lance’s jaw dropped.

“What.”

“It’s, one of the steps of courtship.” the dragon explained, scratching awkwardly at the floor. “Readying a place for them in your hoard.”

“Courtship.” Lance blinked, blinked again, as if he was going to suddenly wake up and this was all going to have been a particularly weird dream.

“I mean, it’s not usually the _first_ step, but the others are kinda hard to do without you having wings.”

Lance stared for another second, then two, then dropped his head and slammed his forehead into the floor, breaking the ice there. “Why is this my life.” he groaned.

“I’m- sorry?” the dragon stepped closer, and Lance tilted his head to actually get a proper look at it.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” he sighed, lifting his head to rest in the palm of one hand. “Just, figures that out of everyone I know, _I’m_ the one who gets hit on by a dumbass dragon.”

“Hey! I’m not stupid.”

“You didn’t even _ask_ if I wanted to come see your hoard.” he pointed out. “That’s pretty stupid.” the dragon opened its mouth, but Lance forged on. “And I’ve never met you before! Hell, I don’t even know your _name_.”

“Keith.” he said quickly. “My name’s Keith.”

“Keith?” he couldn’t help snorting. “Doesn’t sound very draconic.”

“Well I’m not of age to have a full and proper title yet.” he huffed, settling down on the floor again, close enough to touch Lance but only if he actually reached out.

“Mine’s Lance.” he offered, and Keith’s tail lifted slightly. Lance rolled his eyes. His siblings would have a field day with this if they ever found out. Kidnapped by a socially inept dragon with a crush. Though, he had to admit, Keith wasn’t awful-looking for a dragon. His scales were shiny and well-kept, the spikes down his spine sharp and clean, the leathery skin of his wings free of any sort of blemishes. Even his colours were nice, mostly red with splashes of white at his haunches, black on his spikes and around his feet, and a golden underbelly that may or may not have been armoured with actual gold.

“Do you still want me to take you home?” Keith asked, and Lance looked him over again. Objectively attractive, for a non-mer, evidently in good health, and probably around his own age comparatively which was always a plus.

“Mm, if I say no will you still take me home later?” he asked, and Keith nodded quickly. “Good.” he folded his arms on the edge of the pond and rested his chin on them, stretching his tail out to float just under the surface behind him. “I’ve never met a dragon before.”

“Really?” Keith’s head tilted to the side again.

“Nope.” Lance smiled. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

“Sure.”

“Why the hoard?” he gestured at the room, and Keith looked confused. “I mean, why not take me to your nest or whatever it is dragons sleep on?”

“Oh.” Keith looked away quickly. “It’s, um, symbolic. The only things a dragon should value more than their hoard are their mate and hatchlings.”

“Oohhhhh.” Lance nodded. A weird tradition, to be sure, but no weirder than humans freaking _buying_ their spouses. “Mers, we just give each other gifts back and forth until someone either pops the question or sends something back to say they’re not interested.”

“That sounds a lot more reasonable than our traditions.” Keith chuckled. “Simpler, too.”

“Well, there’s traditional escalations and expectations to take into account, but yeah. We’re nowhere near as backwards about it as humans or elves.”

“Ugh, _elves_.” Keith snorted, and Lance giggled. A shiver wracked his body immediately after, though, and Keith’s head lifted as all his attention focused on Lance. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he waved a hand dismissively. “Just a li’l chilly.”

“Oh, shit.” Keith rose to his feet, then hesitated. “I could melt the ice, if you want?”

“Actually.” Lance pushed himself half up out of the water, arching his back more than was even close to necessary and letting out a soft little sigh on the edge of being a moan. “I think I’d rather just get out of the water to warm up.”

“Oh, okay.” Keith moved closer, and when he lowered his head Lance wrapped his arms around the dragon’s neck. He had to curl his tail up against his torso to keep it from dragging on the floor, but Keith soon laid him out on the pile of shiny metals. The bit under him seemed to be mostly chain links and coins, and they slid together as he stretched out and made himself comfortable.

“Better?” Keith asked, and Lance gave him his best bedroom eyes.

“Much. But I wouldn’t say no to some more heat.” he trailed his fingers down the underside of Keith’s neck, and the dragon’s resulting shiver dislodged a fair few coins from the pile, sending them clinking down to the floor. Awesome.

“Dragons aren’t supposed to-”

“I’m not a dragon.” Lance stretched out, dislodging a few more coins and shifting chains against each other as he shifted his tail. “And with mers, as long as everyone’s agreed beforehand, it’s all good.” he lifted his tail off the pile of metal entirely and rubbed it against the sheath hung between Keith’s hind legs. “You did bring me here as a courting thing, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you skipped a few steps to do it?”

“Yes.”

“So let’s skip a few more.” he grabbed Keith’s neck and pulled himself up to rub against it, delighting in the feeling of non-mer scales against his skin. They were slightly rougher, and lacked the protective coating of his own scaly lower half.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Keith asked, and Lance rolled his eyes.

“I’m not in season, if that’s what you’re asking, and even if I were I doubt we’re compatible like that.”

“No, I mean.” Lance felt something drip on his tail, and looked down to see Keith’s sheath had retracted, revealing the biggest dick he’d ever seen. “I’m not sure it’ll fit.”

“Hmm.” Lance cupped his chin, lips twisting into a frown. “Yeah, that might be a problem.”

“Might.” Keith said dryly, and Lance swatted at his neck.

“Hush, you.”

“You didn’t think this through, did you?”

“You didn’t either!”

Keith chuckled, and Lance let his eyes slide shut with a sigh. There were a couple different spells he could think of which would fix their little issue, but all of them needed prep time and materials he didn’t have on hand. “I guess neither of us is getting any today.” he said after a few seconds, opening his eyes again. “But I wouldn’t say no to seeing you again tomorrow?”

“I’d like that.” Keith’s tail curled up over his back, and Lance smiled at him. There was no way in hell his siblings would let him hear the end of this, but he had a feeling Keith would be worth it.


End file.
